Deposed CHP leader Özel could found a new opposition party

“Just as July 15, 2025 was a coup, March 19, 2025 and May 21, 2026 are coups against democracy,” he wrote on social media – ein comparison between the coup attempt, the arrest of the popular, opposition CHPMayor of Istanbul, Ekrem İmamoğlu, and his own deposition as chairman of the party. “Everyone who believes in democracy must stand against coups and alongside those elected. We will continue the fight for democracy against all coups and all coup plotters until the bitter end.”

Shortly afterwards, Özel announced in a television interview what many political observers had already speculated about: he was planning to found a new one opposition party.

“Marionette” as party leader

AAt first he rejected the idea of ​​founding a new party, but this could become his last political alternative: The CHP, Turkey’s largest opposition party and party of State founder and first Turkish president, Mustafa Kemal Atatürkhas been the former party leader since Özel’s dismissal Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu directed.

Kılıçdaroğlu had led the largest party for thirteen years and lost thirteen elections during this time. After his defeat in the 2023 parliamentary elections against Erdoğan, he was involuntarily voted out of office. Political observers and many CHP politicians see Kılıçdaroğlu as Erdoğan’s “puppet,” an opposition politician who is acceptable to the government and who poses little threat due to his unpopularity. In 2012, when Kılıçdaroğlu was elected CHP chairman, Erdoğan wrote on (then) Twitter: “As long as this gentleman is at the head of the CHP, I am grateful for our situation. Our task is simple.”

A Turkish court had that CHP party conference from 2023 and with it Kılıçdaroğlus Deselection due to irregularities for invalid explained. Shortly afterwards, Kılıçdaroğlu was escorted to the party building with police protection. Critics see the court ruling as a politically motivated decision amid unprecedented judicial action against the CHP. The government in Ankara rejects this and emphasizes the independence of the judiciary. What is striking, however, is that… Kılıçdaroğlu zu has hardly expressed any criticism of the previous arrests of dozens of CHP mayors. More than 25 elected CHP mayors from the party are currently in prison.

An appeal against Özel’s dismissal is currently ongoing. He only wants to take formal steps to found a party after the court proceedings have ended. This could End of July or beginning of August be the case.

At the same time, Özel has not yet completely given up hope of recapturing the CHP. He has a request for one extraordinary party conference at which he could challenge the party chairman. If those efforts are blocked, a new party will be formed, he said on Wednesday.

Possible early elections create pressure

But also for the CHP and Time is of the essence for Kılıçdaroğlu: If the CHP fails to hold a party conference in the coming months, it could be excluded from the next elections. According to Turkish law, a party must have held a certain number of party conferences to be eligible to run for office. The same applies to a possible new party led by Özel.

Another option would be to take over a small party that already exists. This would allow Özel to bypass regulatory delays and, in the event of early elections by the government, immediately set up independent parliamentary lists or launch a presidential campaign.

Because the rumors that Erdoğan is working on it… Elections planned for 2028 should be brought forwarddon’t tear off. He is hoping for the incumbent bonus given the chaos in the opposition. The catastrophic one Economic situation However, he cannot blame the opposition for the country’s problems, for which there is no improvement in sight.